Many motor vehicles, particularly trucks, have one or more tow hooks attached to the bumper or to the frame rail, or other vehicle structure. The tow hooks permit a wrecker, a tow truck, or a tow tractor to be readily connected to the vehicle via a chain or a cable. A typical tow hook is a heavy duty ring or loop of metal, and the ring or loop is attached to the vehicle structure. The tow hook may be mounted on the front of the vehicle or on the rear of the vehicle.
Modern vehicles must comply with governmental regulations that define the crush performance of the vehicle under impact against a barrier. In some cases, the presence of the tow hook may alter the crush performance of the vehicle, and accordingly the vehicle structure surrounding the tow hook must be designed to offset the affect of the tow hook.
It would be desirable to provide a new and improved tow hook for vehicles that would be of high strength and reliability for towing and yet have little influence on the compliance with governmental regulations pertaining to vehicle barrier performance.